Clover, not being a doctor, didn't have a whole lot she could do for her sick friend. She would check on him constantly and get him anything if he needed it, but for the most part she was out taking care of the kingdom, which, because of the harvest, was especially busy. However, it would seem her very frequent visits to the king's hut hadn't gone unnoticed…
"Nice work, Ted," Clover shouted to the crowned lemur at the top of the mango tree as he threw the last piece of fruit into one of the overloaded crates below, "at this rate we should be done ahead of schedule," she said happily while checking a box on her clipboard to show that this tree was already cleared.
"Oh, goody shoes and socks!" Ted cheered climbing down the tree, "We should have a party to celebrate!"
"No Ted, no parties," Clover replied somewhat sternly her smile turning into a frown.
"Oh, come on," Pancho grumbled, "Parties are the only thing that distracts everyone away from their homes so I can- I mean, some random lemur who is DEFINITLY not me, can come and steal their stuff."
Clover and Ted were looking at him like he was an alien.
"Uh…which would be bad-'cause! We most certainly don't want people stealing our stuff…so uh, yeah… a party would- we shouldn't have a party...," he ended his tangent in a voice no louder then a whisper, nervously hoping they hadn't caught onto him. Thankfully for Pancho, Xixi flew in suddenly and they all looked up, with their attention no longer on him, Pancho, quickly and quietly slipped away.
"Com'n in hot! -woa-oof!" Xixi grunted as she slammed into a nearby tree.
"Hi, Xixi," Clover greeted the toucan as she got to her feet.
"Hey, Clover! I've been looking all over for you," the bird said excitedly.
"Uh, why?… Wait, is there a security breach that needs my immediate attention?!" she asked energetically.
"No, I actually was just wondering if I could ask you a few questions, for my next segment."
"Um… what kind of questions-exactly?" Clover asked unsure.
"Oh, just about some rumor going through the jungle. It's a really big hit and everyone, me especially, are just dying to know if it's true."
"Oh, well ok, I'll do what I can to get to the bottom of it," Clover replied, "I do love solv'n a good mystery"
"Great!" Xixi said happily, "Stella, we're on in 3…2…1."
"Wait, we're going to do like a live interview?" Clover asked, not really wanting to be on TV.
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," Xixi waved her off carelessly as chairs were suddenly pushed under them. She cleared her throat before starting.
"And welcome back to Xixi's news network. I'm here with our fearless protector and Captain of the Ringtail guard, Clover. Clover thanks for being with us today."
"My pleasure, Xixi" Clover replied. She was actually kind of excited about this. That is, until she heard why she was there.
"So, Clover, what can you tell us about the latest gossip? Are the rumors true?"
"Uh, sorry, again, Xixi, I don't know what this "rumor" is."
"The one about you and King Julien," Xi-Xi replied.
"I'm sorry… the what?" Clover questioned confused.
"You know...," the bird giggled cheekily.
"I don't know actually," Clover said, her face felt really hot for some reason, "What about me and the king?"
"You don't have to be embarrassed Clover, falling in love is nothing to be ashamed about," Xixi said in a comforting voice. Clover shot up like a rocket causing the chair she had been sitting in to fall over backwards.
"Excuse me…WHAT?!"
"Woa, girl, calm down, no one's going to judge you, to be honest though, I knew you two liked each other from day one. I was actually just starting to wonder-" "XIXI!" Clover shrieked shocked, "What are you- NO! King Julien is sick and I was just trying to help out!"
"Oh…" Xixi said disappointed, "So you two aren't- "NO!" Clover cut her off, infuriated, "How could you even think that? This is just-! And you told the whole kingdom?!"
"Well, sorry, but what am I supposed to think when I see you go to his hut everyday and-" "Maybe you could keep your beak out of my business and worry about your own life, instead of following me around, and making up stories like that!" She shouted and stomped her foot angrily.
"Uh… hey, Stella? We're going to take a little break ok?" Xixi said as Clover stormed off, "Don't go away folks, we'll be right back."
Clover was furious! And even after her usual calming technique of punching down a bunch of trees and beating up groups of random strangers, her head still felt like it was in the volcano. How could Xixi even-? Clover growled/groaned before knocking down another tree. She most certainly did NOT love Julien. The thought itself was just so ridiculous! Julien, was her king. She protected and respected him, but she WASN'T in love with him. No, she had loved Sage, that is until he betrayed her, and married her sister. Great, another thing I get to be upset about. She pulled her arm back ready to punch down the tree in front of her, but stopped, and slid down to a sitting position at its base instead. How had this happened? Everything had been going great; all of Julien's enemies had been vanquished or, in his uncle's case, had decided to stop trying to murder his own family member. Sage had found a kingdom for his army, which he seemed to have forgotten, she had actually found. She hugged her knees into her chest. She hated how her brain wouldn't let her forget him, and she hated how she was letting him get to her. Her life just didn't seem to have purpose anymore. Sure she protected the king, but without any threats anymore, what was the point? She had friends but… it just wasn't the same. Her grandmother had always told her that everything happened for a reason, but, what was the reason for Sage marrying her sister? Would she ever know? What about Xixi embarrassing her in front of the entire kingdom? How could there be a reason for that?
"Um...hi Clover."
Clover jumped all the sudden hearing a voice behind her.
"Oh… hi Xixi," she said somewhat forcefully.
"Look, I'm sorry about earlier… I just thought that-."
"No, it's fine Xixi," Clover mumbled. The two were quiet for a moment, until Xixi decided to break the silence.
"I didn't know King Julien was sick."
"Yeah."
"Nothing to serious, I hope."
"He'll be fine," Clover said as she got up.
"Where ya going?"
"Just to check on him, since you brought it up."
"Oh, ok, well tell him I said hi."
"Uh huh," and with that she turned and walked away. Xixi sighed as she watched her go; It was a shame really.
Peace out,
-Netflix Original
